Photo a Week: Hands

You need hands to hold someone you care for You need hands to show that you’re sincere When you fear nobody wants to know you You need hands to brush away the tears.

Hubby and I have always held hands when we’re out together. A friend at our country club remarked on it, saying that it’s unusual to see this in couples who’ve been married for so long, and that we must still be very much in love. Well, she was right about that. I’m sure we’ll still be holding hands for as long as we’re together.

My hands also come in very useful when I play the piano, something which I’m really looking forward to doing in the not too distant future when the house is finished and we can get my new piano delivered.

Our son also uses his hands to make music.

My darling Mom had the most beautiful cool hands. They were hardworking hands, always busy; be it submerged in laundry soap suds, scrubbing floors, baking delicious pies, sewing beautiful dresses for my sister and I, knitting warm sweaters for the whole family, brushing and plaiting my long hair, stroking my fevered brow when I wasn’t well, and also regularly clasped together in prayer. She had no time or money to pamper herself, yet her hands stayed young for the whole of her 90 years. Some of you may remember this photo which I took a couple of years ago, on a visit to see her in the care home. We were sitting trying to hold a conversation, something which had become increasingly difficult as the dementia had cruelly set in, when the lady in the next chair, rousing a little from her slumbers and without even opening hr eyes, reached her hand over the arm of the chair until it found my mom’s. She grasped it tightly, and as mom gently stroked her fingers, I saw a glimmer of a smile on her face, probably remembering a time in the past when she had someone’s hand to hold, maybe a husband or even a child. This lady never had any visitors, but I’m sure that the cool touch of mom’s fingers brought comfort to her heart, just as it used to for me when I was a child.

“Nothing in this world compares to the comfort and security of having someone just hold your hand.” ~ Richelle E. Goodrich

This is one of the most beautiful posts I have read in a long while – tease up with the way you led us into the lady holding your Kim’s hands – so well written – and I think genetics might have a part with your family having these amaisng hands – wow – and the piano days are close–///
Xxoo

I adored your mother’s being such a warm and caring person, Sylvia. Her sweet demeanor showed in other photos where you were together. Her hands holding a person sitting next to her just shows how instinctive her kindness was.
You and your hubby are the perfect pair, so romantic and loving. Your son playing the guitar and your playing the piano would make a lovely Christmas duo. ❤
I also liked the quote at the end, showing how much comfort and love hands can provide.

Thanks so much, Robin. Yes, my mom had time to listen to anyone who wanted to share their troubles with her, so even when she wasn’t able to talk, she still showed her love, just by her touch, as portrayed in that last photo. She was such a darling. ❤

Lovely post Sylvia, and brought back a wonderful memory of my Mum and I holding hands, reassuring for both of us as she was also getting dementia. Keep holding hands with you husband, it is a great role model for us all!

Oh Sylvia I love that you hold hands. For some reason I am not a hand holder with my husband but with my daughter. I always smile when I see couples holding hands walking around the lake. I also don’t like to snuggle up to him when I sleep but I show my love in different ways I guess. 😊

I was just humming “Grandma’s hands” song by Bill Withers the other day. Hands, be they freshly manicured or hard working ones like your and my mothers’, can convey so much love and leave behind such warm memories when loved ones pass on. What a nice story of your mother and her friend.

So beautiful and so thoughtful. We need our hands for so many things, but they also convey so much feeling, the tenderness in the touch of a cheek; firmly shaking the hand of a new acquaintance; and of course holding hands, I always walk holding hands with my children, teenagers too and also my husband, like you we still hold hands, very important and I wouldn’t change a thing

Really lovely, Sylvia, and I can very much relate to the experience you describe with dementia sufferers. I have felt some deeply moving moments amongst such folk, and also some warmly intimate and incredibly humorous ones too. It isn’t all bad news.

Beautiful post, Sylvia 🙂
I think it’s wonderful that you still hold hands with your husband. I hold hands with my husband when we’re sitting on the sofa in the evening, but we walk at such a different pace that holding hands on the move doesn’t really work that well.

beautiful! and beautifully written memory of your mom. It brought a flood of memories to me too of my mom and her hands- I now wear the ring she wore on her left hand. She had soft hands in spite of all her work too.

I love how you and your husband still hold hands wherever you go, I did wonder at one point why do couples forget to do that later on, It’s sweet 🙂 even more so, recalling the childhood you had with your mom 🙂